Austin Wells knocked the cover off of his first Triple-A home run Tuesday night.
Batting in the eighth inning, the Yankees’ No. 8 prospect on MLB Pipeline smashed a 2-1 pitch from hurler Justin Hagenman that went 473 feet with a 108.7 mph exit velocity into right field at Polar Park in Worcester.
The solo blast helped jump-start Scranton/Wilkes-Barre as it rallied for a 6-5 win over the Boston affiliate.
Wells, 24, has been solid since he made the jump to Triple-A at the end of July, as he now has a .740 OPS in 21 games with the RailRiders after going 1-for-5 Tuesday.
The catching prospect — who Pipeline says has 55-grade power — also has nine extra-base hits in the International League.
Before his promotion to the minors’ highest level, he slashed .237/.327/.443 with 11 home runs and five steals with Double-A Somerset.
Outside of his own game, the 24-year-old had also notably helped rookie Anthony Volpe with his swing earlier this season, giving the rookie some advice on how to go back to his old batting stance.
Wells was selected in the first round — 28th overall — of the shortened 2020 MLB Draft out of the University of Arizona.
Since entering professional ball, he has hit 49 long balls and posted an .843 OPS.
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